Help with Fruit Identification – Plum, Damson?

[carnie79]

I came across a tree tonight in my mum & dad's street. It has loads of fruit hanging from it. My dad thinks it's some sort of plum tree, I'm not so sure. I have googled it to death for the past 4 hours and I am no further forward.

I've attached a picture of the fruit as well as a picture of what the tree looks like (tree picture is copied from the web). When the fruit is on the tree it appears to be purple in colour – this is due to a sort of film that is on the fruit. Once they are picked the 'film' comes off and they appear to have a different purple colouring.

There are no thorns on the tree. I have opened one of the fruits up. The flesh is yellow/ green in colour. I have had a bite of the fruit and it has a slight sour taste.

The picture of thee tree from the web stated it was a damson plum tree.

There is a family debate going on about this at the moment so any help would be much appreciated.

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b43 ... Damson.jpg

http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b43 ... CF2244.jpg

[Millymollymandy]

I personally don't call that a damson as a damson is blue/black and more oval in shape. However I'm sure it's still a plum, albeit a small one and there's probably regional variations and people call things different things in different places! But really I suspect what you want to know is whether it is edible or not - as I'm not a forager (got my own fruit trees!) I'll leave that to them to answer.....

[oldjerry]

There is a fruit between a sloe and a damson its called a bullace.Not all sloes seem to have thorns.Bearing in mind that these trees,natvie to Britain have been around a long long time and it would be surprising if there weren't sports or hybrids of all three.

[Rambling Rob]

I have found several of these whilst foraging. It is definitely a member of the plum family. The ones I have look like a cross between a marjorie plum and a sloe. On tasting them, they are extremely astringent so I have treated them as I would a sloe. I have a gallon fermenting - i'll let you know how it turns out.

[oldjerry]

I've had another look at this tonight,and given the shape and habit of the tree , I think it's a plum too.

[Nojoke Matt]

I ain't no expert but could it just simply be a wild plum?

Looks like it from this link:
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/ancie ... ild%20Plum

[oldjerry]

Sorry to be an anorak,but a 'wild plum 'is NOTa bullace.In fact it's not anything,plums are cultivars,many have become naturalized,but whoever wrote that drivel has never eaten,or tried to eat, a bullace.It just goes to show ,that just cos it's on line dont mean it's gospel.

[Nojoke Matt]

Righty ho.....as I said I ain't no expert......but I thought everything on the internet was true!

Certainly looks like the same thing though.

[Bramble]

Looks like a plum to me, think I'd probably treat it as one personally.

[oldjerry]

Sorry to be an anorak,but a 'wild plum 'is NOTa bullace.In fact it's not anything,plums are cultivars,many have become naturalized,but whoever wrote that drivel has never eaten,or tried to eat, a bullace.It just goes to show ,that just cos it's on line dont mean it's gospel.

Hmm...the pompous,self important git who wrote that was me!...sorry,usually it's only T£££o that rattles my cage. Apologies all round.

[Millymollymandy]

I've just opened that link but it locked my computer up

Did you mean you wrote that article, Oldjerry? Or just apologising for a mini rant about bullaces etc? If the latter no need to apologise we all have things that get our goat.

[oldjerry]

No I didn't write the article,but apologising once a decade or so is good for my soul! 'Get my goat' however is not good.....she's in Italy,soI 'm having to milk the perishing things, right now!

[Millymollymandy]

oops sorry